Heart Strings
by jenniferkim333
Summary: Narumi Ayumu thinks back on the time he spent with Asazuki Kousuke, the man who taught him how to play the piano with his heart and who taught him about love.


Sitting at the café, the atmosphere held a peaceful, relaxing sound of rain gently pattering against the window, the smell of strong black coffee in the air, the voices of people softly chattering and speaking, the view of many different people passing by the café window; it all made Ayumu feel at peace.

It's been awhile since Ayumu felt so peaceful.

Ever since that day _he_ left…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Closing his eyes, his fingers seemed to dance effortlessly over the black and white ivory keys. It was as if the music was right at his fingertips. Ayumu abruptly stopped. The melody was missing something…what was it missing? Frustrated, Ayumu tried again. Over and over, he played the same melody. Over and over, he played it perfectly. He didn't miss a note at all, he wasn't off rhythm, what was wrong with it? _

"_It's missing your heart." _

_Surprised, Ayumu snapped his head up towards the voice. A red-haired male with forest-green eyes and glasses met his view. _

_Ayumu scowled at him. "What do you mean it's missing my heart?" He challenged the unknown man._

_The man sighed in aspiration. "It's missing your emotions. You should play from your heart." He pointed towards his heart to emphasize what he was saying, then walked away as if nothing had ever happened._

'My…heart_?'_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

Ayumu would never forget that first encounter with him. Ayumu was in the college music room, practicing a song he was composing for a project. Out of no where _he _showed up and just as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared from the music room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_The subway train gently bumped up and down, lulling Ayumu to close his eyes and rest from his long day. Every couple seconds his eyelids would droop then snap open, his head bobbling up and down from trying to stay awake. _

_Suddenly something bright red came into his view that snapped him wide awake. It was the guy who he saw in the music room! _

"_Hey, I didn't know you rode this subway." The man smiled at him. _

"_I was working late so I missed my normal train. I usually take the 7:30 one." Ayumu glanced at his watch to see the time. _

_It was 9 o'clock PM. _

_Awkward silence settled between them, until finally Ayumu couldn't take it anymore._

"_You never introduced yourself back at the music room." _

_The man laughed at Ayumu's boldness and replied with his hand sticking out, "The name's Asazuki Kousuke." _

"_Narumi Ayumu." Ayumu accepted the handshake._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

That was the beginning of their relationship of friendship…and of love. Ayumu would never forget that moment.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Once again, Ayumu was sitting at the piano bench, his unmoving fingers over the keys. He was frustrated with himself. He played the song perfectly so many times, no mistakes at all. Then why didn't it sound right? _

"_I told you before; it's missing your heart."_

_This time, Ayumu was unfazed by the voice that cut through the tense silence. _

"_You again?" Ayumu asked, rolling his eyes at Kousuke._

_Kousuke ignored it though. "What do _you_ think is wrong when you play?"_

_Ayumu sighed in frustration. "I don't know! I played it so many times. It's perfect. Not one mistake at all! I don't understa-" _

"_That's exactly it." _

"_What?" Ayumu's eyebrows knitted in confusion._

"_It's because you're playing it perfectly. When you play with your heart, _with emotions_, you're putting a piece of yourself into the music. Your heart makes mistakes, so play with your heart. Because when you play the song with your heart and emotions, there will be mistakes, but it'll be beautiful."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

He was the one who taught Ayumu what music was really about. He made Ayumu realize that making mistakes was okay. He helped Ayumu realize that he didn't need to be perfect all the time.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_Let me show you an example of __what music sounds like when you play with your heart."_

_Kousuke scanned the music room that they were in and caught sight of what he was looking for, a guitar. _

_He strummed a few notes to test it, adjusted the knobs here and there, and this process repeated until he was sure that the guitar was tuned in properly. _

_Then he played._

_Ayumu stared, mesmerized by the way his fingers strung the string, as if gently caressing and stroking the guitar. The soft hum from the guitar and the sound of his shoes tapping on the floor to the beat kept Ayumu captivated. He couldn't stop staring and listening. Ayumu never felt this way towards other people's music. The music seemed to fill his entire body, running through his veins and filling his senses. _

_When the soft, touching music stopped, Ayumu dared not to move. He didn't want to ruin the mood or ever forget the feelings that he felt when he listened to Kousuke's music. _

_There was a calm, relaxing feeling that lingered in the air, but the silence was eventually broken. _

"_So how was it?" _

"_It was amazing!" Ayumu said without thinking. When Ayumu realized what he said, he felt his cheeks heat up. _

"_Th-thanks." Kousuke's cheeks tingled with a slight pink shade, embarrassed yet pleased with the praise he received from the younger man. _

"_So, now do you realize what I meant when I said play with your heart?"_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

Ayumu learned so much from him. Ayumu was thankful that Kousuke taught him what music really was, but…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"_So since I should play the piano with my heart, I should listen and follow my heart, right?" Ayumu one day asked Kousuke. They were currently at Kousuke's apartment, enjoying a nice, hot cup of coffee. _

"_Yep." _

"_Then…" Ayumu got up from his seat and walked over to Kousuke. "…You won't mind if I do this…?" _

_Before Kousuke could comprehend the situation, Ayumu captured Kousuke's lips with his own. _

_Ayumu had never been so bold before, but he figured he'd just do what felt natural. Parting his lips, he allowed Kousuke gain entrance. Their tongues battled against each other in a teasing, desirable game. Ayumu was so overwhelmed by the desire he felt that he almost didn't notice when Kousuke's impatient fingers nearly ripped Ayumu's shirt as he tried to undo the buttons. Still heavily into their kiss, Kousuke pushed Ayumu towards his room and breaking the kiss, he shut the door and locked it. Both breathless, Kousuke roughly pushed Ayumu onto the bed. _

_The silk sheets beneath Ayumu's bare back tickled him a bit, but he quickly forgot about that as soon as his lips were once again being hungrily ravished by Kousuke. Unconsciously, Ayumu's arms found their way around Kousuke's neck, his hands running through his smooth hair. Slowly moving down, his fingers running his abs, Ayumu's hands fumbled with the buttons on Kousuke's shirt and finally succeeded in getting the shirt off while still being able to hold onto the kiss. Their tongues danced around in each other's mouth, desperate and needy. Soon enough though, they ran out of breath and had to break the kiss apart. _

_While Ayumu was trying to catch his breath, his chest heaving up and down, Kousuke stared at Ayumu with intense passion in his eyes. _

"_Have you done this before?" _

_Ayumu was startled by his question, but quickly composed himself, although he was sure he was blushing against his will._

"_No." Ayumu simply replied. _

_Kousuke smirked and soon his lips found themselves on Ayumu's neck, sucking and licking. Ayumu tried to suppress the moans since he was embarrassed, but he lost control when Kousuke's cold fingers ran across and lightly pinched his budding pink nipple. Ayumu couldn't stop the gasps and moans from surfacing. _

_Kousuke's fingers trailed down Ayumu's stomach and he quickly undid the button and zipper on Ayumu's pants. Soon enough, Ayumu was completely bare. _

_Their night of passion was only beginning._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

Their happiness didn't last long.

It was only natural for all good things to be followed by things just as bad.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Rain drops fell from the clouds; the sky crying tears as if foreshadowing the sadness that was to come. _

"_I'm leaving to America." _

"_What?" Ayumu looked at Kousuke in disbelief._

"_My stay in Japan was only temporary. I came here to take care of some personal family business and the only reason I was at the college was to meet up with one of my relatives, Eyes Rutherford, who attends the school. And…"_

_Kousuke sighed deeply, not wishing to continue. _

"…_I have a fiancé back at in the States. Her name is Ryoko."_

_Ayumu stared, his eyes void of any emotions. He tried to keep his hands from shaking while so many thoughts were running through his mind. As if feeling his anguish, the darkened sky came down more heavily. Big fat tears rolled from the clouds._

"_I'm sorry Ayumu. I was never playing around with your heart though. I really feel something for you, but it'll never work out. We have to face reality." _

'We have to face reality…'

_Those words seemed to echo over and over in Ayumu's mind. _

"_I'm sorry. Ayumu, promise me you'll find someone else, someone who'll love you and give you the love that I was never able to give you. Promise me, please." _

_Ayumu could only stare at the concrete beneath him that was wet with his tears and the rain. _

"_I…I promise." Ayumu finally chocked out against his will, wishing with all his might that this wasn't true. He wished that Kousuke belonged to him, only him. _

_Kousuke's eyes relaxed with relief, yet there was still pain within those emerald orbs._

"_Thank you, Ayumu." _

_Those were his last words as he walked away. Ayumu never looked towards Kousuke's fading figure and Kousuke never looked back at the broken man._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

"Ayumu!"

Ayumu snapped out of his thoughts and reminiscence as he looked towards the source of the high-pitched voice. It was a girl with honey-colored hair, waving her arms in greeting.

"Hiyono, what took you so long?" Ayumu asked her.

"Sorry, it's just that I came early to the stores to shop around, but then I saw one of my class mates and we started talking. Suddenly I saw this really cute store with this HUGE teddy bear and…" While Hiyono rambled on, Ayumu just smiled at her in content while his thoughts drifted off.

Even though it's been awhile, Ayumu still loved Kousuke. But Ayumu knew that he would never come back.

Ayumu felt that one day he might find love within this hyper, energetic girl named Hiyono. He knew she liked him ever since they first met in high school. He still only thought of her as a close friend and sister, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

Plus, he couldn't break his promise with Kousuke.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>

_This story was quite an adventure to make! Honestly I think had written this two or three years ago but didn't find it on my computer until now. I can't believe I never published this story and that I had forgotten about it! I only made a few minor changes here and there, otherwise this is the original document from a few years ago._

_I wrote parts of the story separately, meaning that I didn't write each part in order. I wrote one part, then wrote another, then I'd eventually add more stuff and it'd connect all the parts together. The final outcome is completely different from what I had imagined it to be. Here's what didn't make it into the final story: Kousuke being a prostitute (yeah, this story was going to be pretty dirty ;D), a minor Kanone/Eyes appearance, Kousuke meeting Ayumu by Eyes introducing them, and the appearance of Kiyotaka._

_My musical inspirations were quite diverse. The song that helped inspire me with the whole story was **'Fallin' by Epik High**. Then while I was typing I got stuck so I put my iTunes on shuffle, and it actually helped me! Thanks to **'Train' by FT Island** for helping me think of the whole train/subway idea! I was once again struck with a writer's block but then while I was listening to **DBSK's 'Holding Back on the Tears'**, I heard the guitar part and in an instant I thought, 'Kousuke will play the guitar!' Hence the idea of Kousuke played the guitar in my fan fiction! Plus, this song helped me to complete the overall story. Also, **DBSK's 'Are You A Good Girl?'** actually helped me with the lemon. The intense beats and breathing really helped set the mood, hehehe. These are all Korean songs._

_I hope you all enjoyed this story! I don't know if anyone reads Spiral fan fictions anymore but I felt this would have been a waste to not upload onto the fanfiction community._

_Any reviews would be highly appreciated. Thank you for reading my one-shot!_


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